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From staff reports

The Albany State University football team, fresh off a strong 2021 season, is working hard for an encore.

The Golden Rams wrapped up spring practice this month with their annual Blue and Gold Spring Football Game with a new team and some new coaches on the staff of head coach Gabe Giardina, who led his team to last season’s SIAC championship, 10 victories and a playoff berth.

The coaching additions include a new defensive coordinator in Jeremy Atwell, who also will coach the linebackers. He spent the past two seasons as defensive coordinator at New Mexico Highlands University, leading a defense that was fourth nationally in interceptions and 14th nationally in forcing turnovers.

Atwell, a Tulsa, Okla., native, also has an extensive background in high school coaching and coached eight seasons at Nicholls State University (La.) — three as assistant head coach and five as defensive coordinator.

Atwell’s assistants will include a new defensive line coach, Michael Welch, who spent the 2021 season at Lyon College. He previously worked four seasons at Coahoma Community College, where he was defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and head sports performance coach. Before his time at Coahoma, the Houston, Texas native previously coached as lead strength assistant at Iowa State University. His experience also includes high school stops at Woodward Academy and Booker T. Washington, and a college stint at the University of William Penn.

Giardiana also added a new coach on the offensive side with the hiring of Charlie Skalaski, who is quarterbacks coach, passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator. He has 14 seasons of coaching experience — four at the high school level and 10 at the college level, most recently wide receivers coach in 2021 at Robert Morris University.

He was previously offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and director of football operations at The Apprentice School in Newport News, Va., after stops at Charleston Southern University, Gettysburg College, Liberty University and Liberty Christian Academy, his alma mater in Virginia.

Albany State’s season begins Sept. 3 with a home game against Mississippi College. A series of three road games follows with trips to Florida A&M (Sept. 10), Shorter (Sept. 17) and Clark Atlanta (Sept. 24) before a return home to face Miles College on Oct. 1. Up next is an Oct. 8 game at Edward Waters.

The Golden Rams’ annual Homecoming game is Oct. 15 against Benedict. The regular season concludes with road games at Savannah State (Oct. 22) and Fort Valley State (Nov. 5, Fountain City Classic), and a home game with Morehouse on Oct. 29.

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